Mannequin Demand Soars After Sept. 11

Worth Watching: Aristotle Corp.

June 04, 2002|By Leonard Felson; Special to the Courant

Making and selling mannequins and other training tools for CPR, emergency rescue and security screening services was a sure course for reliable, if unspectacular, growth for the Aristotle Corp. of New Haven.

Unspectacular, that is, until Sept. 11. Revenues have soared since the terrorist attacks, up 30 percent from last year, said John Crawford, Aristotle's chairman and chief executive officer.

The growth has helped propel Aristotle -- a holding company formerly in the underwear business -- to the verge of a major acquisition that would multiply its revenues 20-fold.

Both units have seen the post-Sept. 11 upswing in demand. For example, all security guards and baggage screeners at airports must go through hours of training before going on duty.

``As a result, we're poised for interesting growth, as people become much more conscious of security and safety,'' Crawford said.

Safe Passages sells its training programs to airlines, airports and security companies. It has been asked to bid on several contracts for new U.S. and Canadian training programs.

Still, with sales last year at $8 million, the explosive growth that Aristotle expects won't come from increased sales of mannequins and training materials. It's coming as a result of a merger with Wisconsin-based Nasco, a privately held distributor of educational products, with revenues last year of $170 million. It sells the frogs that students dissect, portable chemistry labs and hundreds of other kits used in classrooms.

Aristotle, which has only three employees in its New Haven headquarters, and about 80 in total, will have about 600 employees once the deal, expected to close later this year, is complete.

``Our goal,'' Crawford said, ``is to continue to grow by acquisitions over the next several years, staying in the educational, medical and training fields.''